


The Somnium Files: Utter and Listen

by Mura Lunwich (Mura_cle)



Category: AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Continuation, Resolution Route Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:21:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22250986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mura_cle/pseuds/Mura%20Lunwich
Summary: Some time after the events of the game, a new string of murders begin to occur, though the body part of the case is none other than the tongue. Yumi Arata, MPD investigator and agent of ABIS, is assigned to handle the case with a new AI from the Wadjet System. As the case progresses, though, Yumi soon learns that at times, she must hold her tongue or risk losing it.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	The Somnium Files: Utter and Listen

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: RESOLUTION ROUTE/TRUE ENDING SPOILERS

# Day 1: Friday – shitA(I)

“So that was the end of it, huh?” I muttered. _I don’t buy that’s what happened._

_If I may ask, why did you want to look at how the outcome of the case?_ Soundwaves on the sides of my head entered my eardrums, making it possible for me to hear the voice without anyone else eavesdropping.

_ABIS is hiding something, but it’s impossible to tell, especially with how tight their lips are._ I adjusted the rubber gloves on my hands to make sure they were underneath the cuffs of my jacket. _Doesn’t matter. I’m just here to solve whatever caused… this._

A body laid in front of me with a large pole skewering its abdomen. A trail of crimson had spilled out of the hole and formed a puddle beneath the grass-green jacket. The jeans were also stained with blood, though some of the dirt on top of the jeans contributed to the soiled look. I noted how tightly the jeans shaped around the legs of the corpse, which isn’t something I’ve seen men wear often, though this seems to be an exception. The face of the dead man was fixed to a horrified expression with his eyes wide and his mouth hung open. I could hear him screaming, but there wasn’t any sound coming from him at all. He _is_ dead, after all.

_Any information on him, C?_

_Yuuya Muraba. Male. Twenty-three years old. Type A positive blood. He’s approximately one hundred and seventy-eight centimeters tall and one-hundred and seventy-six kilograms,_ reported she.

_Could you tell me something useful?_

_I am trying my best!_ she retorted. _Um, he worked as a manager for a fast-food restaurant, McDonald’s. He was last seen attending a circus alone, which is where we are right now._ A flat area of dirt sat beneath the towering tent striped red and white, holding nothing but a fence that surrounded the area directly beneath the peak of the tent. And, what the fence was me, C, a few of my coworkers, and the body that held the pole in its abdomen. _Except, you know, it was a bit more… livelier. And he was alive._

_Who reported the murder?_ I followed up.

_That would be… an anonymous caller. They haven’t come to the police station yet, but according to the log, we should probably expect them to come soon. The call was an hour ago._

“Speaking of ‘showing up,’ _where the_ hell _is Ogata?_ He should have arrived at the same time I did!” I growled. Some of the others looked at me with concern.

_Beats me. He doesn’t use a cell phone or anything, so I can’t even track his location._

_Then how are we supposed to—ugh, never mind._ The douchebag always sits in his office when he’s not out in the field, so that landline of his is our only resort to contacting him. _Call his number._

_Already tried. Went to voicemail after ringing,_ said C.

“Dumbass. Asshole. Fuckface.” I muttered several other insults as I investigated the body. Nothing in the pockets, no signs of struggle, and rigor mortis was in full swing.

_Um, Yumi? There’s something wrong with his face._

_That’s not polite, even if he_ is _horribly plain-looking,_ I replied.

_No, that’s not what I meant. Look at his mouth._ Following her suggestion, I peered into the mouth of the corpse, and there, I realized that his tongue was gone. _It’s missing._

“Interesting.” Similar to how the Cyclops Killer would steal an eye from his victims, the tongue was stolen from this corpse. _I see. C, contact Pewter to—shit, he’s in jail, right?_

_He sure is,_ she confirmed. _But if you’re telling me to communicate with Aiba, I can do that without his approval._

_Let’s hope she can provide us with any useful information,_ I said. _While you’re doing that, search the database to see if there’s anything else related to this incident. I need all the info I can get._

_On it! By the way, a car just pulled up. It might be Ogata’s._

“If it is, I’m going to beat the shit out of him,” I grumbled. I could feel some worried glances come from behind.

_I’ll let the higher-ups know so they can laugh at the footage before firing you,_ said C.

“You wouldn’t.”

_I am legally obligated to report any incidents that can be charged for a crime. If you threaten him, I could probably charge you with battery._ I could hear the smugness in C’s voice.

_Charge me with battery? I’m not a robot, you know._

_Why would you say that?_ I smirked at the sound of her discontent. At the entrance of the tent, a man with questionable fashion sense walked in. He wore short shorts with slacks that were cut to reveal his shaved legs and black knee socks. His upper-body wasn’t any better: he donned an unbuttoned blazer with a white dress shirt that revealed his concerningly hairy chest, and he wore two gold watches, one on each arm, that were likely bought off eBay for a dollar each, and to put the cherry on top, his handlebar mustache held his sunglasses that he never took off.

“Dear God,” I whispered. Then, I yelled, “Ogata, why are you so fucking late?” I stomped my way to the man in shades with my fists tightly clenched.

“It takes time to dress this well,” he replied, twirling his mustache.

“At least your fashion makes me feel better about my own,” I retorted. “But that’s not the point. You were supposed to show up ten minutes ago! This was an urgent call, and apparently, you were still at your office, which is a few minutes away from this damn place!”

“I was in the middle of paperwork, so I had to lock that up before coming. You know how long it takes to do that.”

“It’s literally just putting it into a drawer and locking it. Then again, you have a knack for losing small things.”

“Aha, that’s correct! I still have yet to find my house key,” he laughed.

_So that’s why he hasn’t been home lately,_ commented C.

“Did you find out who the murderer is?” asked Ogata.

“If I did, I would have gone and left by now. So far, we only have a few clues,” I said. “The tongue was removed from the victim’s mouth. It’s easy to believe the unsub has taken it, but for now, it’s merely speculation.”

“Riveting, riveting. If it ends up being a new serial killer, we might have to enlist Kaname Date’s help.”

“Shouldn’t he still be recovering from the incident? I hear they gave him a while off to recuperate,” I said.

“I’m not saying _now_ , but if this continues and we haven’t caught the culprit by then, he might know a thing or two.”

“I can handle this with just C. By the way, C, did you contact Aiba?”

“She couldn’t find anything direct, but she did pull up some records of circus-related murders and possible connections to a body part missing, but after I checked them, they all seem to be unrelated to each other. Besides, the culprit was caught for each of them, and only one of them has been released since then,” she reported.

“Could that one be—?”

“Not possible. He’s in his late years, and he suffers from paralysis from the legs down after an incident in prison.”

“So that rules out any of the previous culprits,” said Ogata. “You should go speak to the others and see if they found anything.”

“On it.” I went back to the scene and spoke with one of the investigators.

“Got any information?” I asked.

“Oh, you’re Yumi Arata, right?” he asked. “Right, right. Well, I estimate his time of death to be about four hours ago. Sounds reasonable, right?”

“If that’s the case, then the caller would have had three hours to report the incident,” I said. “That’s a rather large gap of time to phone in an incident.”

“Right, well, whenever they called, it doesn’t change the conclusion that the victim was killed four hours ago, right? Besides, they probably saw the body later, right?”

“Indeed. Thanks for the info.”

I went to another coworker, who was standing beside a camera. “What’s this for?” I asked.

“It’s to record the scene during investigation so we can ensure that it isn’t being tampered with,” said the police officer. “It’s a twenty-four-megapixel camera with 1.3 minimum aperture. It records up to 4K resolution at sixty frames-per-second, or 1080p at one-hundred twenty frames per second.”

“Anything about the victim?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

That was fruitless. I spoke with another inspector, who was collecting pieces of DNA from the victim. “Hey, you’re doing a great job.”

“Huh? Thanks! You know, I was assigned to be Pewter’s handler, but they wanted me to come collect stuff from this scene.”

“Oh, so you must be… um….” My mind drew a blank.

“Kagami, ma’am.”

“Ah, right, Kagami. I’ll be sure to remember that.”

I paused, and then spoke to him again.

“Hey, uh… Ka….” _Dammit, what was his name?_

“Kagami, ma’am. It’s Kagami.”

“Right, right.”

_Are you trying to tease him or something?_ asked C.

_No, of course not. I simply forgot his name,_ I replied.

“Did you need something?”

“Uh, do you have any information about the scene?” I inquired.

“It looks like we’re in a circus tent.”

“Interesting. That will prove useful,” I replied, fidgeting in my shoes.

“Um, thanks? I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I paused once more, and then spoke to him again.

_Give the poor guy a break, won’t you?_ begged C.

“Hey, Tortellini!”

He turned to face me.

“Did Date set you up for this?”

“What?” I raised an eyebrow.

“He set you up, didn’t he? ‘Tease Kagami like you don’t remember his name’ or something.” He was on the brink of tears, judging by the cracking in his voice.

“I never even met Date. Did… did he forget your name often, too?”

“Yes. It’s Kagami, by the way.”

“Ah, damn, I was really close.”

“No, you weren’t.”

_You got toooold,_ mocked C.

“Shut up,” I said out loud.

“Sorry?”

“That wasn’t to you. I was… talking to myself.”

“Ma’am, you act just like him, too. Are you _sure_ you haven’t met Date?”

“I’m completely sure I’ve never met that man in my life.”

“Okay. I’ll believe you.” He went back to his work.

_Was Kaname Date that forgetful?_ I asked C.

_Uh, I dunno. I’m not Aiba_ , she replied.

_Useless as always…._

_You take that back!_

I looked around, and then looked back at the pole. _Seems like the only thing here we haven’t checked thoroughly is this pole._ The pole itself had hooks at the top, but I couldn’t guess what they could have been used for. It was long, black, and hard, reminding me of… an eggplant. Yes, an eggplant. _How long is this pole, C?_

 _About four-hundred fifty centimeters tall,_ she replied. _Why do you ask?_

_Could this be used in some sort of stunt?_

_Maybe one where someone swings around. This pole, though… something’s off about it._

_What about it?_ I pressed.

_There isn’t any blood at the top whatsoever. I hypothesized that the culprit must have slid the body down the pole, but… that can’t be the case_.

_If that’s true, then the pole must have been stabbed into the body._

 _That’s one possibility, yeah. We’ll find out more once they perform an autopsy._ I started hearing ringing, and a phone icon started shaking in the corner of my eye. _It’s HQ. They left a voicemail._

_What did they say?_

_The tipper arrived. They want you to interrogate her._

“Ogata, we’re going back to HQ. The tipper came,” I announced.

“Understood.”

The circus wasn’t too far away from the police station, so getting there didn’t take too long. After signing back in, I went down the elevator to where the interrogation rooms were.

_Room A54,_ said C.

_Got it._ I went down the corridor, and when I found the room, I entered with Ogata following. He stood near the door as I promptly walked to the table and sat down, making eye contact with the girl in front of me.

Her eyes were light brown, matching the color of her skin, and her brown hair was long and voluminous, tied up into twin tails with wavy ends. She had deep red blush on with hot pink lipstick, and she wore a trendy unzipped jacket covered in hiragana letters and a t-shirt with an anime character on it.

“A…ah….”

“Before we start, I’m required to let you know your rights. You have the right to remain silent and to end the questioning at any point since we have not arrested you. You’re in this room simply because it’s the best place to ask the questions, so pardon the gloomy atmosphere.”

“I’m here to liven things up!” said Ogata.

“Ignore him. So, you were the one who tipped us of the body, right?”

“Y…yes…,” she whispered.

“Alright. We learned that the time of death was four hours ago. What time did you see the body?”

“I… don’ know,” said the girl. “Ah wuz… jus’ leavang when….”

“Erm, is Japanese not your first language?” I asked.

“N-no.”

“What other languages do you speak?”

“ _E…English,_ ” said she.

“ _That makes things simple. American?_ ”

“ _British._ ”

“ _Understood. Oh, perhaps I should have asked this before: what is your name?_ ”

“ _It’s… Alexandra Alexander._ ”

My knowledge of the English may not be whole, but there’s definitely something weird about that name.

“ _Pardon me?_ ”

“ _I know, it’s a weird name. I have my license if you want to see that._ ”

_“May I?_ ” She pulled her license from the United Kingdom out of her wallet and showed it to me. Her name is, indeed, Alexandra Alexander.

_Sheesh, poor girl,_ said C.

_Took the words out of my mouth_. I handed back her identification.

“ _You can call me Alex._ ”

“ _Alex, then. Could you explain what you were doing when you found the body?_ ”

“I have no idea what you two are saying,” said Ogata.

“ _Have you never taken a single English class in your life?_ ” I yelled.

“What?” Ogata was clearly confused.

“ _Pardon him. You can speak now._ ”

“ _Um… alright._

“ _I was attending the circus my friend was telling me about. She said that it runs once a year for only a week, and today was the last day. I don’t like the idea of animals being abused for our entertainment, but apparently, they use animatronics to simulate the animals. I_ had _to check that out, so I went last night. Everything went as usual… I think. I’ve never been to a circus before, so I’m not super duper sure what ‘usual’ is. Anywho, I went there with my friend—I’m not sure if I mentioned that—and I lost her on the way out. I looked around the tents, and I went inside one when… I…._ ” She shivered as the memory replayed in her head. “ _I… saw the body. It reeked of blood, and I nearly threw up from the sight and the smell. I ran out and screamed for help, but everyone had already left—.”_

“Wait, please,” I interrupted. “How long… erm, _how long were you looking for your friend?_ ”

“ _About two hours_ ,” answered Alex.

“That long?!” My jaw dropped. “Didn’t you think—ugh. _Did you not think that your friend could have already left?_ ”

“ _I tried calling them, but they wouldn’t pick up. Actually, I’m still not sure where they are._ ”

“ _I hear you. Then, answer me this: what is your friend’s name?_ ”

“ _I_ ….” The girl went silent.

“So, you’re just going to stop talk there, huh?” I muttered.

_Be careful, Yumi; she can still understand Japanese,_ said C.

_I know. You don’t happen to be able to read minds, would you?_

_I’m an AI, not a psychic._

_Useless._

_Stop calling me that!_

C groaned as I pondered what to ask next. “Alex, your friend might know something about the murder. Can you tell us her name?”

“ _I_ ….” She hesitated, and then said, “ _Under one condition._ ”

“Which is…?”

“ _I, uh, didn’t get that?_ ”

“ _Sorry. Which is…?_ ”

“ _Promise me you won’t arrest her. She can get really anxious sometimes, and I think getting arrested will cause her a panic attack. So, please, don’t arrest her._ ”

“What’s she saying?” asked Ogata.

“She’s asking me to not arrest her friend,” I answered, turning my head towards him. “She may or may not have a connection with the murder.”

“That’s doable. If she’s not involved, no need to arrest her,” he said.

“Understood.” I turned back to Alex. “ _That won’t be a problem. I promise I won’t arrest her._ ”

“ _Pinkie promise?_ ” She held a hand up with her pinkie pointed at me. Her nail polish was pastel pink, which matched the rest of her outfit.

“ _Pinkie promise._ ” I held up my right hand and joined my pinkie with hers.

“ _You can’t go and break this now,_ ” declared Alex.

“ _Don’t worry, I won’t_ ,” I said.

“ _Her name is_ Hazuki Komuro.”

_That name… rings a bell,_ I thought.

_Looking up records right now,_ stated C. _Aha! Komuro Hazuki, twenty-year-old girl who lives a few miles away from here. Her last known location is… her house!_

_Time to get moving, then._

“Thank you, Alex. Say, if we need to contact you again, where do you stay?”

“ _If we… where… oh! I’m staying at my friend’s house for the time being._ ”

That made things convenient.

“Ogata, we’re done. We’re heading to the Komuro residence right now,” I updated.

“Oh? Need a warrant or anything?” he suggested.

“Not necessary for now. The murder’s fresh, so it’s better if we get things rolling as soon as possible so we can catch the culprit ASAP.”

“Umm…!” I turned around to meet a pair of pleading eyes. Alex placed two clenched fists on her chest and looked up with puppy eyes. “Can I… ride you…?”

Both Ogata and I hesitated for a moment.

“Sorry, I’m a girl,” I dismissed.

_THAT’S HOW YOU RESPOND?_ yelled C.

“What does that do anything…?” Alex looked down, and her eyes quickly darted left and right before stopping. Once they stopped, her cheeks turned as red as an apple. “Ah! _I meant to say, ‘Can I hitch a ride with you?_ ”

“Oh, that’s better. Since you live there, it wouldn’t hurt to take you,” I answered.

“Thank you very much! I think you’re a… handsome lady!”

_I know what they’re trying to say, but it still hurts_.

_If it makes you happy, there_ are _really handsome ladies out there. Personally, if I had a physical body, I wouldn’t mind being crushed to death by a buff gal._ C giggled creepily.

_Please stop talking before I actually kill you._

_How are you going to do that, huh?_

_I can run you over with my car._

_Huhuhuuu…! Pewter designed me to be virtually indestructible! A simple car won’t—WHY ARE YOU TAKING ME OFF?_

_That revealed everything._

_Humph!_

We left the headquarters, and Alex entered my car in the passenger’s side before I jumped in front of the steering wheel. After igniting the engine, I drove off with C as my GPS.

During the drive, Alex and I chatted.

“ _Hey, you’re not using a GPS or anything?_ ” asked Alex.

“Nah,” I replied.

“ _How?_ ”

“ _I know this town like it’s on the back of my hand,_ ” I lied. “ _If you tell me somewhere to go to, I can go there without looking up a single word._ ”

_So I_ am _useful!_ cried C.

“ _Wow! That’s so cool!_ _I thought maybe you had a screen on your glasses that tells you how to get to places._ ”

“ _Sorry, I lied,_ ” I said.

“ _Aww—wait, you actually have one of those glasses? Japan’s so high-tech!_ ”

_Scarily, yeah._

“ _Um…! I… I never asked for your name!_ ”

“ _My name? It’s Arata Yumi._ ”

“ _Arata… that’s a cute name! Should I call you_ Arata-kun, _then?_ ”

“ _Different honorific, please._ ”

“Arata…chan? _”_

“ _...Fine.”_

 _“Ooh, how about ‘_ Ara-chan _’?”_

“ _Whatever you’d like._ ” _Just leave it recognizable, please._

“Understood! Ara-chan!”

_D’aww, that’s adorable!_ exclaimed C. _Ara-tan, A-ra-tan!_

“Um… Alex, how old are you?” I asked.

“ _Huh? Oh, I’m twenty-four!”_

 _You do not_ look _twenty-four,_ I remarked internally.

_Nope, she’s twenty-four. Her date of birth is on her license_. _You know what means?_

_What does it mean?_

_You two could theoretically fuck! You’re only a year older than her!_

_I’m going to flush you down the toilet._

“ _Is… something wrong?_ ” asked Alex.

“ _No. Just thinking about genetics,_ ” I replied.

“ _I’m half-Japanese, if you’re wondering! I’m also half-Indian, but my parents are both from Britain!_ ” exclaimed she.

“ _Half-Indian, half-Japanese… I don’t see that too often._ ”

“ _Right? They told me how they first met, and what happened to make the marriage happen was sooo romantic!_ ”

She spilled her parent’s life story on me for the rest of the ride. It’s amazing how much one can learn in just four minutes.

“ _It appears that we arrived_.” We stopped at a townhouse. Because I’m the police, I parked in a no parking zone, and I won’t have to risk getting towed. It’s one of the better benefits of the job.

“ _That’s her door!_ ” said Alex, pointing at house number 24. I walked to the door corresponding with the number and pressed the doorbell button. “ _Usually, it’s just her and her mom, so if both are busy, it’ll take a while._ ”

“ _How long is ‘a while?_ ’”

“ _Liiiike… two hours?_ ”

_Those must have been some scary nights,_ I thought.

Eventually (not two hours, thankfully), the doorknob moved, and a woman opened the door.

_WHOA, TIDDIES!_ yelled C.

_Shut. Up._ There were, in fact, a pair of big breasts right in front of me.

“Alex, there you are!” said the woman. “And you are…?”

“I’m Arata Yumi, MPD, special investigation team ‘ABIS.’” I introduced, flashing my badge. “Are you Komuro Hazuki’s mother?”

“Yes! Oh no, did she do something illegal? I told her to be back as soon as possible, but—!”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. There was a murder that happened just a few hours ago, and Alex here happened to witness the scene while looking for Hazuki. I’m here to find out if she knows anything about it.”

“A murder? So that’s why she’s been acting like that….” Hazuki’s mother put her hand on her face. “She’s still awake, I think. You can come in!”

“Thank you, ma’am. Excuse us.” Alex and I entered the Komuro residence, and the mother immediately went upstairs, calling for Hazuki. I sat down on a couch while Alex sat on another.

To pass time, I asked Alex, “ _So, what’s Hazuki to you_?”

“ _She’s my bestest friend! I met her online a bunch of years ago, and we’ve really bonded. I just finished college a few months ago, so I’ve been searching for a job in Japan_!”

“Is that so? _What is your major?_ ”

“ _Biological Sciences! It’s… actually kinda hard to find a job_ ,” she confessed.

“ _Yeah, that makes sense._ ” If it weren’t for my special circumstances, I’d probably be out of a job right now, too.

“ _What about you? Did you go to college?_ ”

“Yes. _I went for philosophy, and I graduated, at least. I didn’t think about getting a job until later._ ”

_Wait, seriously?_ asked C. _You never struck me as carefree._

_A lot of stuff happened._

“ _Philosophy, huh? Like, Plato and shtuff?_ ”

“ _Aristotle, Da Vinci, and the like, yes._ ”

“ _Ooh, fancy!_ ”

“Sorry for the wait,” said Hazuki’s mom, appearing from the staircase. “She refused to come out of her room until I said A—whoa!”

“ALEX!” A girl about a foot taller than the mother came running down the stairs and dove right at Alex. “Oh my God, thank goodness. I thought you were killed, too!”

“I’m here!” said Alex. “ _There’s a police officer right there, by the way._ ”

“Huh? Oh, officer!” She scrambled and stumbled before she sat down on the couch. Her silver hair hung over one of her eyes, though the one I could see was red, presumably from crying. Her glasses were crooked, but I couldn’t tell if it was from being hastily put on or the frames being bent. “There was a murder!”

“Yes, I know,” I said. “Alex saw the body. I was wondering where you were while you two were separated before she saw the body.”

“Huh?” Hazuki looked at Alex. “You saw it…?”

“Yes,” said Alex.

“It was… oh, right, the question. When the circus was closing, I waited at the entrance after texting Alex that I’d meet her there. She was in a porta-potty, and it sounded like it was gonna be a huge dump, so—.”

“ _You didn’t have to say that,_ ” groaned Alex.

“—I decided to wait outside so I wouldn’t get yelled at.”

“Alex, you have a phone?” I asked.

“ _Yeah, but the battery died, so I never got her text._ ” She pulled out her phone and pressed the power button, and the screen lit up with an empty battery icon. “ _I need a new phone._ ”

“Alright. Continue.”

“I waited for about… an hour? That’s when I decided to go back inside, even if I did get yelled at. I searched around the entire grounds, circling over and over in case I missed her before. I even went back to the porta-potty later, but she wasn’t there.”

“What time does the circus close?”

“Ten o’clock.”

_The time of death was four hours prior to me arriving at the scene, and the call was at eleven o’clock. That means the time of death was during open hours, which means…._ I shook my head. _If they have an alibi for eight o’clock, that means neither of them committed the crime. However, if the only alibi they have is themselves, then…._

“Where were you two at eight o’clock?” I inquired,

“Eight? Uh, Alex, your phone was alive then, right?” asked Hazuki.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I can’t remember what we were doing, but I do remember asking you to regroup for something.”

_That’s too vague for my liking._

“ _It was to go see the games, wasn’t it?_ ” reminded Alex.

“Um… was it that…?”

_Yumi, I’m detecting heat from Hazuki._ C put an overlay above Hazuki, and a thermograph appeared where her body is supposed to be. Her entire body was flaring up.

_She’s in hot water now._

 _Is now really the time for puns?_ sighed C.

“Hazuki, are you sure you don’t remember what you were doing?” I asked.

“Huh? What do you mean? Are you accusing me?”

_Shit, Alex mentioned that Hazuki gets anxious easily,_ I remembered.

_Good going, dude._

“No, maybe I worded that too strongly. Hazuki, think about what you were doing. Was there something significant going on?”

“I… um… sorry, I can’t remember. I think Alex is right, but… something else was happening, I think? Sorry, seeing that body shook me up, and now I can’t remember anything from tonight,” confessed Hazuki.

_This seems to be a bust. Well, we do have another option, though…._

_Psyncing?_

_You got it._

“Hazuki, there’s a place I need you to come with me to. Don’t worry, I’m not arresting you or anything—you’re free to refuse if you want to—but it would help a lot with the case if you complied,” I said.

“What do you need me to do…?”

“There’s a special machine that’ll help you remember at HQ. I just need you to consent, and we can try to help you remember what happened,” I continued.

“She won’t be hurt or anything, right?” asked Hazuki’s mother.

“Nope. It’ll be safe for her to use.”

“I’ll do it!” exclaimed Hazuki. “Just take me where I need to go.”

“ _I’ll come with!_ ” said Alex. “ _Um, I don’t know how useful I’ll be, but I want to be there for Hazuki!_ ”

“There’s going to be a point where you won’t be able to accompany her,” I said.

“ _That’s okay! As long as I can see her immediately after she’s done, I won’t mind!_ ”

_What a beautiful friendship…!_ sobbed C. _That’s so sweet!_

“Let’s get going.”

“I’ll stay here,” said Hazuki’s mother. “I should probably cook something for you three when it’s finished, right?”

“It’s getting late, ma’am. You might be better off sleeping if you don’t want to come,” I suggested.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’d be happy to put something on the stove for all of you!”

“If you insist… _maybe_ I can come back for a bit,” I replied.

After Hazuki got ready, she joined me and Alex at my car, and we drove over to the headquarters. C had already called Ogata to prepare the Psync machine, so once we got there, he took me and Hazuki down to the Psync room.

“By the way, this part of the headquarters is forbidden, so we’ll have to drug you now!” happily exclaimed Ogata.

“Wait, what—?” Ogata quickly covered her face with a towel, and she quickly collapsed into my arms.

“Seriously? Couldn’t you have told her that _before_ we went down the elevator?” I growled.

“Oh, she’ll be fine. She’ll wake up like nothing happened!” said he.

_He irritates me so much._

_He does his job, at least._

The elevator opened, and I dragged Ogata’s limp body across the corridor until we got to the Psync room. Ogata picked her up (with one arm, mind you) and took her to the Psync machine. I entered the room myself, and I met a rugged-looking man with a stubble sitting in front of the computers.

“Huh? Number 89?” I gawked in shock as the face I saw on the news turned around to make eye contact with me.

“Nope, I’m Kaname Date. Sorry to disappoint,” he greeted.

“Oh, so _you’re_ Kaname… what was it? Kaname Daname?”

“Uh, no.”

“Kate Date?”

“You’re so close.”

“Ah! Daname Kate!”

“She is just like you,” said a feminine, slightly robotic voice. It sounded like it was coming from… him?

“Aiba! Wazzup, homie?” said C through the speakers of my glasses.

“Hey…!” There was no point in stopping her—if he’s here, then chances are he’s in ABIS as well.

“Hello, C. Have you been nice to Yumi?” asked Aiba.

“Nicer than the nicest person on Earth!” cheered C.

“Heh, is this one of your Wadjet buddies, Aiba?” asked Date.

“It’s more appropriate to call her a sister, but yes, I do know her well. She was made after I was able to restore myself. Pewter was surprised that the Wadjet System decided to create another AI without telling him beforehand, but I guess this AI was a little bit too excited to enter this world,” explained Aiba. “He set up a link between us to share information when we need to.”

“Yup! Aiba’s like a big sister to me!” said C.

“And she’s installed on her glasses?” asked Date.

“Yes, though she can’t transform into a cute little hamster like me. She can, however, project herself into a hologram,” added Aiba.

“Ooh, lemme demon—.”

“The Psync machine is ready!” said Ogata through the speakers. “Yumi, whenever you’re ready!”

“Is he your boss?” asked Date. I nodded woefully. “Well, he certainly has a taste for fashion. Can’t say it’s a good one, though.”

“Date, you’ve worn nothing but that outfit for the past month. I don’t think you’re qualified to question his fashion,” scolded Aiba. “Not that I disagree with you.”

“Come _on_ , he’s wearing booty shorts underneath oddly-cut _slacks_! You can’t tell me that’s not weird at all.”

“Date, why are you here?” I interrupted. “I thought ABIS gave you a good while off.”

“Well, Pewter’s not here thanks to certain circumstances, but I have an idea or two on how to operate this machine,” said Date.

“I know how to operate this machine, so don’t worry,” promised Aiba.

_Better her than him, honestly,_ I thought.

_You got something against him?_ asked C.

_He strongly reminds me of you._

_Are you saying you don’t trust me, an AI, with sensitive equipment?_

_That is exactly what I’m saying._

“Six minutes, right?” I asked.

“Six minutes. Don’t forget,” said Date.

I walked through the door that led to the Psync Room, and once I entered the room, I promptly sat down on the Psyncing chair. Ogata went back up to the control room, and Date started typing on the keyboard.

“You’ve got six minutes, Yumi,” announced Ogata. “No more than that.”

“Roger,” I said. The headgear lowered onto my head, and after some whirring, my consciousness zoomed into the astral plane.


End file.
